No More Running
by ClumsyMustache
Summary: Lucy always ran from everything she couldn't fight or handle, it was just in her nature. She ran from her home, her guild, from him. So after two years she finally decides to do something she's never done before: Return. But something dark comes along the way, will she finally be able to see her guildmates or will it be too late? /Oneshot\ Not really T or anything..but just in case


**Having a terrible writers block so I thought what the heck, I'll make a one shot! NaLu of course x3 hope you enjoy~went to sleep thinking about this..;-;**

**S**he ran. And she ran, and she ran. That's all she seemed to be doing these days: running.

She ran from her home, she ran from her guild, she ran from _him. _She ran from everything in her life, for that's all she knew how to do.

She absolutely hated it.

So here she was, running for once for a good reason; to keep from getting killed.

And to think that the cause of all of this was returning for once, to return from her long miserable run and just take a break.

She never anticipated this.

Through her tear stained eyes she noticed blobs of glowing light, the town of Magnolia. The town she had found her true family and her love in. A soft smile of hope formed on her face, a relieved sob wracking her badly bruised body. She would've fought back like Natsu and Erza had always told her to, except she was drained of magical power and lost her whip in the process of escaping.

She could see the cobbled stones and the big building of Fairy Tail in the distance, she only had to run a few more meters and she would be home free…

Right as she thought she would be safe she suddenly tripped up, her leg catching on a gravel path. She tumbled downward, her ankle bending in a sickening position as it cracked over a sharper than normal rock. She kept in her agonizing screams as her head met contact with the pebbles, slowly fading her consciousness out.

_It can't end here! It can't! _She thought stubbornly, her eyes overflowing with tears when she heard the evil mans sniggers.

She sucked in all of the remaining air she could muster, praying to her mother that everything would end up ok and she would wake up the next day and finally get to tell Natsu what she's been holding in for the last two years.

So with the amount of air in her lungs, she let it out in a loud desperate scream before finally closing her eyes.

"Natsu!"

(((((())))))

"Did you hear that?" The fire dragon slayers eyes were wide with shock and disbelief as he turned to his little exceed friend Happy.

"Hear what?" The blue cat asked, eying the pink haired man carefully, wondering if he was having another 'moment'.

"I think I just heard Lucy!" He said rather loudly, perking his ears and waiting for another call. His heart was beating faster than normal, his hands becoming sweaty just thinking about the Stellar mage he missed so dearly.

Happy's ears drooped down in grief, a frown forming on the small neko's face. "Natsu, Lucy left us." Happy said sadly, a sob rising in his small throat.

"Don't talk about Luce like that! I know she'll come back, I just feel it. You should never give up on your nakama!" Natsu encouraged, a tad of hostility in his voice. He hated when people talked about his Lucy like that, like she was some sort of coward that just got up and left one morning because she couldn't handle things. He always knew she'd come back, he could feel it in the very essence of his being.

The day she left had hit him the hardest of all, she was his best friend and his above all partner next to Happy. He broke into her house all the time and took over her bed. The moment the master announced Lucy's leave hit him like a freight train. He was at first in denial, then anger, then sadness. And eventually right back to step one. He kept her apartment rent paid and rarely ever went to the guild anymore. He never slept in the bed and kept everything the same, scared he'd lose his last memory of his best friend. He wanted to keep it neat and clean so when she came back she would be grateful, and possibly not as mad when he snuck in anymore.

He always slept on the hard sofa, Happy resting on the head of it. They went on long missions so they wouldn't have to talk so much to the other guild members, just walking in and saying a quick thing to Mirajane before leaving. When he came back he would always take a long walk with Happy to think through things, wandering around the city.

Yet he never told anyone at the guild for they would just stare at him in pity, he had always gone long enough to search for Lucy. Asking every townsfolk he could find if they had seen the girl in 'this picture'. He always went home depressed with no leads as to where Lucy was.

Natsu had changed, he had changed a lot. He still smiled, but it wasn't his toothy grin he was known for. He wouldn't get into fights anymore with Gray, or get battered by Erza. Even Gajeel stopped picking on the sulking fire mage.

Natsu tried to be himself again, tried to be the hyped up teen everyone knew him as. But every time he thought of something happy to make him smile, it always included Lucy. Which made him feel sad again.

"But Natsu it's been two years! I don't think she'll come back for us…" Happy said in a devastated tone. Natsu clenched his jaw before running off.

"Where are you going Natsu?" Happy called, trying to catch up.

"I'm going to Lucy! I heard her voice; I know it's her!" He yelled, making his path obvious as he barged through the townspeople, saying _Excuse me _and _sorry _every time he ran into someone or knocked them over. He was determined to find her, and by the call of his name she sounded like she needed help.

"Aye, Sir!" Happy called, not helping but feel hopeful by his friends enthusiasm.

Happy was trailing behind Natsu when Natsu suddenly stopped, his whole being tensed. Happy slowly came up behind him cautiously, wondering why the dragon slayer was frozen in place. Happy came up and stopped in shock also, now realizing the horror in front of him.

A man in a dark coat with a hat covering his hair was binding a hopefully unconscious Lucy. Happy and Natsu didn't want to think of the other option their blonde friend was.

"You." Natsu snarled, his voice dangerously low. His eyes were to two slits and he looked ready to kill, literally _flaming _with anger.

The man then froze before slowly turning around, as if he had imagined the voice. When he saw the blazing man standing there his eyes widened a little more in fear before he whipped out a wicked knife.

"Don't come closer." The man warned, trying to seem scary. Natsu smirked at his pathetic attempt to scare him. He was reaching to a peak of being able to melt the knife.

"Put her down or else." Natsu growled angrily.

The man returned his smirk with his own, patting Lucy's cheek just to get a reaction out of the boy.

"Or else?" The man scoffed, waiting to see Natsu do something.

"Or else I'll kill you." Natsu said it so seriously it even sent a chill down Happy's back. Happy rarely saw Natsu like this, so grave and dangerous, it scared the small exceed.

The man was about to respond when suddenly Lucy groaned, her heading shaking a little as she tried to regain her surroundings. She tightened her closed eyes until they fluttered open, her mouth agape and a small shriek of pain emitting from her lips as she tried to grab for her ankle, only to be stopped by the man.

"Lucy!" A voice cried, snatching up her attention. Her eyes widened and tears started to form. After a minute of mustering up her courage she slowly tilted her head upwards to meet the man's eyes she had been dreaming about for the past two years.

"Natsu…" She breathed out, a lone tear trailing its way down her cheek. Natsu took a step forward, his own tears stuck in his eyes.

"One more step and she'll be dead." The man yelled, holding the knife to Lucy's throat. Lucy's eyes widened as she tried not to gulp, scared the knife would penetrate her skin.

"Don't you touch her!" Natsu roared aggressively, swaying a bush behind the man. Lucy withered in the mans hands, trying to hold back her sobs.

Happy watched his two friends with huge eyes, tears coming to them.

_I'm so useless! _He thought bitterly, watching the scenario take place. Right when Natsu roared he realized that the bushes swayed, the leaves falling off and onto the mans head. This gave Happy an idea, and hopefully a good one.

"Ayye, Siir!" He yelled, swooping down and confusing the man with a flap of his wings and scratching his face. The man let out a scream, dropping Lucy to the ground to cover his wounded face. Right when he dropped her Natsu advanced, fire blazing like a hurricane around him. He had a murderous look in his eyes.

The man cowered, truly terrified of Natsu's approach.

"Please.." The man begged, going to his last resort. He didn't care if he looked weak and pathetic, he didn't even care for the girl. He was just doing this for a job to pay for his family.

Natsu didn't respond, just kept walking. When he was right in front of the man he let out a wider fire, the fire licking dangerously close to the mans face.

Natsu pulled his hand back to strike the man when suddenly two arms encircled around his torso, gently pulling him back.

"Please.." A different voice whispered faintly into his ear, the only voice that had ever calmed him.

He stopped instantly, turning off his flames to not hurt Lucy farther. He already knew she had been burnt, a bold move by even touching him while he was fired up.

Her grasp on him loosened as she began to fall backwards, the numbing pain eating away at her consciousness once again.

(((((())))))

Lucy's eyes fluttered opened to a blinding light. She had to blink her eyes a couple of times before she finally adjusted. She looked around in surprise, noticing a white blanket over her and brown wooden walls. She stared in confusion around the room till she finally noticed, her breath hitching in her throat.

Fairy Tail.

The Fairy Tail insignia was hanging on the wall.

"Luce?" A uneasy voice quietly said beside her. She turned her head to see the person she had longed for.

She breathed out a happy sob, a loving smile forming on her features. "Natsu…" She said his name like it was the best thing in the world, and to her, it was.

The boys features softened and his own smile lit up his face; the smile he hadn't smiled in nearly two years. "Luce…" He took a shaky breath, as happy as ever. He thought he had lost her, her wounds were the worst Wendy had ever seen. And most of them were because of him.

"Oh Natsu I'm so sorry I left you-the guild." Lucy hurriedly apologized, her eyes darkened and sad.

But while she was acting sorrowful, he couldn't help but let out a Natsu laugh, causing her to look up at him in question.

"I'm so happy your back!" He said, ignoring her questioning look. He engulfed her in a hug, pulling back to push a stray strand of hair out of her face.

"You aren't mad?" She asked hesitantly, confusion and a blush on her face.

He couldn't help but smirk at her. Same old Luce. "Of course not, I could never be mad at you…for long." He added playfully. "But just promise me one thing." He asked gently, oblivious to their closeness.

"Anything." She whispered, her cheeks tinted pink.

"Don't ever run again." He said solemnly, his eyes not leaving hers, just to show how serious he was about it. He was more than ecstatic she was back, a yell of joy bubbling in his throat.

"I promise." She whispered, holding out her pinky. Natsu rolled his eyes and shook his head, pushing her hand away and intertwining his fingers with it, shooting forward quickly and kissing her.

In the middle of their kiss they heard a squeal, followed by a lot of clattering. They turned their heads to the ruckus to see none other than Mirajane, knocked out on the floor with a giddy smile on her face muttering "NaLu"

Hearing the noise, most of the guild members peeked through the door, their eyes wide when they saw Mira. They looked to Natsu and Lucy and they all cheered once they saw she was awake and ok, but also because they could see their still intertwined hands.

"Oi Ice Princess! What did I hear you say about me being a lazy bum?" Natsu stood up, swinging at Gray.

"I don't have to say it, you show it Flame Thrower!" Gray retorted, picking up a chair and knocking it over Natsu's back, soon getting the rest of the guild involved.

While everyone fought Lucy just sat on her bed, smiling the whole while.

_No more running…you're home._

**Ok I finished ha~~*gets distracted easily* took a loong time because…**

**CHAIR MODE ACTIVATED *BOOP***

**Yeah ok…please review and fav if you enjoyed! (U can even post random things in the review box, cuz I know its hard to find something to say XD)**

**Sayonara! **


End file.
